Il Fornaio

Best Italian

by BettyWilkins at Citysearch

Butternut squash ravioli, a hard thing to make but this place does it the best I have found. It's broken up with tomato sauce that breaks up the flavors enough to make it anything but mundane (as this dish can be without a savory break). A friend has had their Vodka pasta dish and loved it as well.

For the price the attentive service is what you's expect, they clean off the table, are evtremely attentive, serve you with their other hand behind the back, turn the plate just do the main part is in front of you. The desert crepes...yummy to the last bite!

This place is a splurge on my budget settings but certainly necessary treat to look forward to.

• Pros: Everything on the Menu

I would only go if it's the only place downtown SJC that can accomodate you...

by pcalhoun at Citysearch

Was there last Saturday, and I have to say that I was very disappointed in both the service and the food. The menu was very comprehensive, but all four of us thought the food was below average. I had the lasagna, which was probably one of the worst ones I've had in a restaurant. My wife ordered the pappardelle with "wild boar", which must have been not only wild, but also difficult to hunt because it couldn't be found in the dish. All of us had either soup or salad. My mushroom soup should have been named "celery broth".

Honestly, if you want good italian food - stay away.

Oh, and service sucked. Waiters that simply didn't seem to care, other than the guy responsible for bringing us water and bread. The waiter spilled wine on my shirt, which was annoying, but what was really irritating was her taking her time to get something to clean it with.

Great tasty Pizza snd lazy service..

by lajolla at Citysearch

Me, my wife and two teenage doughters visitied the San Jose location for a lunch on Sunday.

The dining area itself was rather impressive, roomy, nice decoration, and very Italian athmosphere.

Very nice! However, the great expectations started to fade away due to lazy service. Everything was done

slowly. All together we ended up waiting 40 minutes before the food was served eventually..

The food was OK but did not meet expectations either. Ravioli was heated to right temperature but kind of "tasteless". Veal was a bit of seasoned, been waiting (not served fresh) and kind of "messy" combination with mushrooms, sauce, etc. Also a bit "tasteless", have to say.

But pizza was one of the best ever had, very tasty. kid's loved it too. Overall, very nice athmosphere, nice decoration, but food unfortunately didn't meet the expectations...

Excellent Food, Great Ambiance

by mbar5sam at Citysearch

Il Fornaio is an excellent restaurant with fabulous flavors, great service and a very inviting ambiance. The food is authentic Italian- D E L I C I O U S. They also offer reasonable size portions, not supersized heart attack specials with a 12 gallon drum of soda allowing you to feed your entire family and bring home "a doggie bag" to feed a small country for under 20 bucks. The food is meant to be savored to allow you to enjoy several courses. While the food is not cheap, it is priced to keep an adult type clientele. The servers are very knowledgeable of their wines and make excellent recommendations. This is one of our favorite spots downtown and will continue enjoying for the years to come.

• Pros: Food, Service, Ambiance, knowledgeable staff

Bolognese Very Good

by girlcherf at Citysearch

Attitude at the door! Hostess very disengaged. Service at the table lax. No specials or recommendations. Food hot and delicous when it got to the table. Waitresse/waiters don't do it j